Trowel attachment.



I. M. ABRAM.

TR ATTACHMENT.

APPLIOA PILBD AUG. 17, 1910.

1,027,396. v PatentedMa y28; 1912.

UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

IRA? M. ABRAM, or nucenn, INDIANA.

mower. ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28,1912.

' .Applieation filed August 17,1910. Serial No. 577,602.

and. a top dressingof cement applied thereoverto give a smooth uppersurface. This upper surface is in main partsmoothed off by a trowel andthen a separate tool, known as a'jointer tool, is used to. mark theseams or joints between the blocks. Sometimes it is desirable to apply agreat number of trans verse or criss-cross grooves in the surface of theblock to form a drive-way for horses or to give a tile effect, and wheresuch grooves areapplied by a single tool the cost of labor runs veryhigh.

One of the important objects of my invention is, therefore, to providean attachment fortrowel blades which can be applied in any number andcombination to a trowel blade so that a plurality of grooves can be madeat the same time in the cement surface, thereby greatly reducing theexpense.

-My attachment is particularly adaptable to trowel devices such asdisclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 535,885, filedDecember 31, 1910, in which-myself and Joseph E. Runner are the jointinventors. 'One of my attachments can be applied to the troweling bladeto mark the dividing line or joint between the cement blocks, or anumber of attachments can beapplied to the blade so that a correspondingnumber of;

transverse or cries-cross lines or grooves can be applied simultaneouslyto form a driveway surface or one giving a tile effect.

The attachments may be of various forms and shapes, and the essentialfeature thereof is the ease and readiness with which they can be appliedand adjusted in position on the trowel blade.

The nature of my invention will be'fully understood by reference to thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawings, in which drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevational view of a trowel device showing afinishing attach-V ment applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a plan view taken ofone end of the trowel blade, show- 7 ng an attachment applied thereto,Fig. 3, 1s a view of the front edge of the troweling 7 blade, showingthe attachments thereon, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on plane 4E-4Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on plane 5-l5, Fig. 2.

The main trowel device to which I have shown my invention appliedcomprises the ordinary rectangular blade l having a central block 2secured thereto and provided 7 with a bearing lug 3, to which is pivotedthe head 4 of a handle 5 by means of a bolt 6. The particular form ofattachment shown is adapted when applied to the plate to co--' operatewith the blade to'form a jointing outfit. The attachment hasa body part7of substantially V-shaped cross-section, as

best shownin Fig. 5, thesides a and 6 being slightly concave and runningto sharp points 0, d at the upper ends to form practically acontinuation of the lower surface 7 of the blade to which the attachmentis applied. Above each end ofthe body part is a block 8 held integralwith the body part by a small transverse section 9 and forming with thebody part a groove 10' for receiving the corresponding edge of theblade.In practice,v

these blocks are primarily entirely connected with the'body part, andthen the slots 10 ar cut therein to the desired depth.

The attachment is slid onto the trowel blade from one end thereof andthen slid longitudinally to the position desired on the blade, whereuponthe attachment is properly secured in place in any desirable manner,

but in such fashion that the bladeis not in 7 any way out or marred: ordestroyed for its independent ordinary use as a troweling device forfiat surfaces. A preferable way for securing the attachment in itsadjusted position is by means of a screw 11 threading through one of theblocks 8' and having a tapered end 12 for engaging the adjacent edge ofthe blade, as indicated in Fig. 4, a pocket 13 being formed in the bodypart below the slot 10 to receive the tapered end of the screw. Theattachment itself does not form a complete jointing device, as jointingdevices must have both side surfaces for forming the joint slot and mustalso have horizontalunder surfaces at the upper ends of-the sidesurfaces for smoothing out the ridges caused adjacent the slots in thecement by the tapered sides engaging in the cement. However, when theattachment of my construction is applied to the ordinary trowel blade,the side surfaces a and 6 thereof at their upper ends or points 0 and 6merge into and coincide with the surface 7 of the blade, the surfaces aand b then forming the finishing continuations of the surface When theresulting device is used the V- shaped attachment will form the jointingslots in the cement, and the cement adjacent the slots will be leveledand smoothed off by the engagement of the blade surface therewith. Inother words, the attachment serves only to define the joint or othergroove, and the trowel blade itself smooths out the surfaces adjacentthe formed grooves. The ordinarily straight blade is thereforetransformed into a ointing or other finishing device upon application ofthe attachments thereto, and the troweling blade is itself an effectivepart of the combination and does not serve merely as a support forcomplete jointing or other finishing attachments. In edging cement work,such as side-walks, the attachment will round off and smooth over theedges, and the blade itself will smooth off and maintain the level ofthe top surface of the work.

Instead of one attachment a number may be applied to the blade atdesired intervals, so that the resulting device can be used forsimultaneously applying a number of grooves to cement surfaces, as fordrive-ways or to produce a tiled effect, the attachments forming anddefining the grooves, and the blade itself finishing off and maintainingthe level adjacent the grooves. Where the attachments are used inconjunction with the troweling device disclosed in my oo-pendingapplication referred to, the attachments will automatically partake ofthe movement of the device to raise the advancing ends.

The attachments of my construction can be quickly slid onto anytroweling blade and secured thereon in adjusted position without thenecessity of re-constructing the troweling blade or making provisionthereon for the combination of the attachments, and when the attachmentsare removed the trowcling blade can be used in its ordinary capacity.

I do not desire to be limited to the precise form and constructionshown, as other forms Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

and constructions are of course possible which would still come withinthe scope of my invention, and

I therefore claim the following:

1. A finishing attachment for a troweling blade, comprising a body parthaving side finishing surfaces for cooperating with the finishingsurface of the blade, extensions on said body part forming slotstherewith for receiving the edges of the blade whereby said attachmentmay be slid into various positions on said blade, and set screwmechanism cooperating with said extensions and blade to lock theattachment in its adjusted position on said blade.

2. An attachment for a troweling blade, comprising a body part havingside finishing surfaces for cooperating with the finishing surfaces ofthe blade, an extension over each end of said body part forming withsaid body part slots for receiving the edges of the blade whereby theattachment may he slid into various positions on said blade, and a screwpassing through one of said extensions and having a tapered end forengaging the adjacent edge of said blade to thereby clamp the attachmentin its adjusted posi tion to said blade.

3. In combination, a troweling blade, a detachable finishing memberhaving grooves for receiving the longitudinal edges of the blade wherebysaid member may be slid into various positions on said blade to have itsfinishing surface cooperate with the finishing surface of the blade, andmeans for locking the attachment readily in adjusted position.

1; In combination, a troweling blade, a plurality of finishingattachments each having grooves for receiving the longtiudinal edges ofthe blade whereby said attachments may be slid into various positions onsaid blade, and means provided for each finishing member for lockingsaid member rigidly in adjusted position to said blade.

In witness hereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 12 day of Aug, A.D., 1910.

IRA M. ABRAM.

Witnesses N. W. BINGO, EFFIE Pros.

Washington, D. C.

